Corruption Tale
by Lanari
Summary: A logn time ago, humans and monsters lived in peace. Until demons grew in the hearts of mankind and waged war upon the monsters out of greed. The un-corrupted hid the monsters beneath the earth behind a barrier that would take a human soul, tainted or otherwise, every ten years to to rejuvenate. But one woman will bring the truth to the dark Underworld...with the aid of a girl.
A long time ago, humans and monsters lived at peace. It was a time of great advancements between human's determination and monster's magic; there was peace. Few died of non natural causes, and sickness was a thing of the past. Truly it was a Utopia, until a rift opened at the bottom of the ocean and seeds drifted out to find hosts. These seeds found room inside the hearts of humans; turning them mad with hatred and bloodthirst. We did what we could, but as monsters proved more resilient to the parasite demons then humans we feared what would happen to them if the whole of our race became infected.

Then the worst happened: a King of a nearby kingdom grew a demon in his heart and waged war on the monsters. Determined to save our friends, seven sages from across the world gathered the remainder of the monsters and sealed them within the mountain Ebott. We erected a barrier around the mountain to keep any loose Seeds from gaining entrance, but it would require a human soul every few years to be strengthened against the demons...corrupted or other wise. The barrier would naturally fall in ten years if none strengthened it; we hoped that would mean that no corrupted would remain to sacrifice to the barrier.

War raged between the human kingdoms; until finally...magical bombs and nuclear missiles were launched. We'd hoped that by gathering the uninfected behind a barrier not of the Sages design we could keep them safe while killing off this parasite.

We were wrong...

(From the journal of Sage Hendrik of the Red)

Cordelia sighed as she closed the journal she had gathered from around the Wasteland; the journals of the Sages were one of her favorite collections since she desired to find more stories and learn the truth everyone so desired. All the humans left on the surface lived in fear of being infected, in fear of starving or being unable to find clean water. It was a hard life, but they understood the why of things. Humans worked together to survive; and it wasn't like they hated those who became infected either.

Cordelia turns to the mirror and looks into her hollow eyes, placing the tips of her fingers upon the darkening skin around them. Now, she was infected...and it was time for her to go to the Mountain to strengthen the barrier. Some humans were beginning to whisper about why 'their kind' had to go there. Few remembered the real reason; only that it must be. But Cordelia remembered; she knew and she felt no bitterness over her fate. Because at least she wouldn't turn into a stark racing lunatic, right?

She sighs, placing the last of her meager belongings into her pack before tossing it over one shoulder...at least super strength was one perk of being infected. The people had begged her to stay as she was the only record keeper there currently and she could have. The infection would take a year to get bad enough where she was a danger to anyone...but she felt it was time for her to go and find the truth of what had happened. Opening the door into the early morning mist that rose from the swamps surrounding the 'city, Coredelia started on her way out of town. The dilapidated buildings rose in crooked slums around her, thinning out the further away she got. Early morning scavengers waved to her; knowing the history keeper by the worn violin and harp on her pack.

"Gods speed behind you, 'delia!" One yelled to her, causing the woman to smile and wave back on her pack and wishing her well. before turning back on her way with a morose sigh.

"Gods speed...yeah I'll need it if I want to help the monsters." She murmurs to herself, feeling a burning pulse in her chest as is the Seed was taunting her. She hisses, placing a hand over her chest as she staggers against a ruined tree. Glaring down at her chest, Cordelia slapped it viciously. "Stop that, you're already destroying me. Do you have to make it hurt while you do?"

The burning ceased as if it understood her and after a moment of panting for breath against the tree before pushing off, once more on her way to the far off mountain. The dusty ruins of the roads of an empire long since fallen leading off through plains of wild nature that had sprung up with the help of the magical radiation that had created wastelands in it's wake. It was terrible to be lost in a sea of green when few parts of the land would allow for edible farming; too infused with magic and radiation to eat anything grown on it.

But her feet kept her moving without her even needing to think about it; her shoes sending up small clouds of dust along the way. The sun rose and began to set until it was a burning ember on the horizon before she got to her destination. Splashes of amber gold painted the sky with the velvety blue of the coming night as Cordelia climbed the steep mountain; the barrier around the bottom of it sizzling and burning her around her wrists and in small splotches by her eyes. It was designed to keep back taint like what she was bringing and her body was paying the price for housing a seed. The peak held a small ritual alter where she would have to die to repower the barrier.

"Well...At least the next human will bury me right? And this isn't such a bad place to rest..." She sighs, pausing in her journey to watch the sun set behind the large forest to the south. The human gave a small tired smile before pulling a half empty pack of cigarettes out of her hip pocket and tapped one out to light up with a battered zippo. Her lungs burned as she took a drag off her cigarette, the seed pulsing unhappily at the mistreatment of it's host before burning. Cordelia coughed, leaning against a nearby tree in pain as she watched the sun set fully and finished her cig.

"Lemme get ONE in before I kill myself you damned thing." She mutters at it angrily, punching her chest again before grinding the butt under her heel and starting back on her way. The stars were glittering treasures above her head; the moon a full droplet of silver amidst the heavens when she realized her first mistake. She hadn't brought a lantern. She stumbled in the dull glow of the full moon; feet catching on tree roots and tangled brush. Long strands of pale gold hair fell in front of her face, causing the woman to grumble and swipe it angrily back into it's pony tail; completely missing the coming dark shadows. Her mind blanked when her next step met only air, time slowing as she flailed for anything to grab as she tumbled forward into the dark void of an open cave; barely having the thought to scream in her shock.

The sickening crunch of breaking bones was all she heard before blackness claimed her; and the kiss of something gently velvet across her cheek.


End file.
